Ruggelach
... submitted by dave


Title may also vary as "Rugelach" or "Walnut Horns".

Yields 36 cookies
Cream Cheese Pastry
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter
1/2 lb cream cheese
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sifted all purpose flour

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese
together until completely
blended and smooth. Beat in the salt and on low speed, gradually add the
flour. While beating in the
flour, toward the end, the dough might start to run up the beaters. If so,
the last of it may be stirred
by hand. When the dough is smooth, flour your hands lightly and with your
hands, form it into a short,
fat roll. Cut the roll into 3 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round
ball, flatten slightly, and
wrap each individually in plastic wrap or wax paper. Refrigerate the balls
of dough overnight.

When you are ready to bake, prepare the following filling and then adjust
two racks to divide the oven
into thirds. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut aluminum foil to fit
cookie sheets.
Filling
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup currants
5 oz (1 1/4 cups) walnuts, finely chopped

Stir the sugar and cinnamon together and set aside. Do not mix the
remaining ingredients. Place one ball of dough on a floured pastry cloth.
With a floured rolling pin pound the dough firmly to soften it slightly.
On the floured cloth, with the floured rolling pin, roll out the dough,
turning it over occasionally into a 12" circle; don't worry about slightly
uneven edges. With a pastry brush, brush the dough with 1 Tbsp melted
butter and quickly before the cold dough hardens the butter, sprinkle with
1/3 of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Then sprinkle with 1/3 of the currants
and 1/3 the nuts. With the rolling pin, roll over the filling to press it
slightly into the dough. With a long, sharp knife, cut into 12 pie-shaped
wedges. Roll each wedge jelly roll fashion, rolling from the outside
toward the point. Then place each little roll, with the point down, 1"
apart on the cut aluminum foil. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Since some of the filling will fall out while you are rolling up the
horns, after preparing each third of dough, it will be necessary to clean
up the pastry cloth; either shake it out or scrape with a dough scraper
or wide metal spatula and then reflour it.

Glaze
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water

In a small cup, with a fork, stir the yolk and water just to mix. With a
pastry brush, brush the glaze over the tops of the horns. Slide a cookie
sheet until each piece of foil. Bake two sheets at a time for about 30
minutes, until the horns are golden brown. Reverse the sheets top to
bottom and front to back once during baking to insure even browning. If
you bake one sheet at a time, use the higher rack. With a wide metal
spatula, immediately transfer the horns to racks to cool.

A lot of trouble, but they are irresistible! I had one friend bake them
because she loved my grandmother's so much. She said it would be a long
time before she went to that much trouble for cookies again.
Unfortunately, my grandmother died 3 years ago and if I want them, I have
to bake them myself. Sigh, I'm sure they won't be the same either.


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